Reid: Senate To Vote On ENDA Before Thanksgiving

The Senate will hold a vote on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) before Thanksgiving, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced Monday.

ENDA would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace.

Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who introduced the bill in April, told the Huffington Post he was pleased with Reid's timeline for the bill.

"I thank Majority Leader Reid for committing to bring ENDA to the floor this work period," Merkley said to The Huffington Post. "Americans understand that it’s time to make sure our LGBT friends and family are treated fairly and have the same opportunities. Now it's time for our laws to catch up. People should be judged at work on their ability to do the job, period."

ENDA has 54 cosponsors in the Senate, including two Republicans. However, the bill may face difficulty in the House, and Senate passage of the legislation could jumpstart conservative lobbying against the bill.